IF Gerard Pique’s vision proves true, the future of soccer is already being played in an industrial pavilion located down a road past rows of stacked shipping containers in the desolate outskirts of Barcelona’s port.
There, every Sunday evening from now until July, teams play seven-a-side soccer on artificial turf in front of a minuscule public of a few hundred guests. There are no ticket sales, games cannot be found on any television channel in or outside Spain, yet hundreds of thousands of eyes — young eyes most likely— are already watching on phones, tablets and computers via the Internet.
Welcome to the Kings League, the latest brainchild of Piqué following his overhauling of tennis’ Davis Cup. The former Spain and Barcelona defender retired in November just in time give his full focus to launching his brand of soccer.
The amateur league is a mix of old and the new. It
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